Darius Mahjoob – Founder and President:

Darius is a current junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. He has been extremely passionate about music from a young age, beginning piano lessons at three years old. He then learned the violin and joined the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California as a violinist and pianist. Darius is currently a part of his school’s steel drum and percussion honors ensemble, and is involved in numerous school concerts throughout the year, including the Nick Kraus Memorial Concert held annually at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. He was inspired to start the club when his grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He noticed that even as her memory declined, her mood was always uplifted and she responded positively whenever she heard music. Darius wanted to bring this same feeling to others, which led to the formation of Keys2Happiness. His favorite piece of music is Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor.

Andrew Smet – Vice President:

Andrew is a current Junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and has been in the Keys2Happiness club for three years. He is 16 years old and has been playing music for 10 years. Alongside Darius, Andrew participated in the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California for two years as a violist. Andrew enjoys playing the viola, trombone, and piano! His favorite piece of music is Bach’s Viola Concerto in C Minor. Outside of school, Andrew likes reading, swimming, and math.

Maia Choe – Secretary:

Maia is a current Sophomore at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and has been in the Keys2Happiness club for two years. She is 15 years old and has been playing music for 9 years. Maia enjoys playing the violin and piano! Outside of school, Maia likes reading, playing lacrosse, and hanging out with her friends. Her favorite piece of music is Chopin’s Winter Wind Etude Op. 25 No. 11.